i. Biography
Bolognese cooking is built on timing, restraint, and raw materials that arrive with the season. In Matteo Poggi’s work, that register stays close to flour, broth, meat, fish, and the Emilian habit of letting technique carry the memory without overstatement.
The Path
Brigade work at Osteria Francescana demands precision, repetition, and control before personality enters the plate. Matteo Poggi’s early role there placed him inside a kitchen where consistency, attention, and restraint were part of the daily discipline. That kind of training shows in the small decisions: the cut, the seasoning, the heat, and the moment a dish is ready to leave the kitchen. In Poggi’s case, the foundation is rigor rather than display, with technique treated as a way to make each gesture count. The chef role at Al Cambio brings that discipline back into a Bolognese frame. Poggi’s cooking there works through clarity rather than novelty: traditional, seasonal, generous in structure, and measured in execution.
Current Practice
Authentic Bolognese cuisine at Al Cambio is handled as a working tradition, with seasonal meat and fish dishes set inside a broader Emilian and traditional cuisine. Poggi keeps the cooking connected to the city without treating it as fixed or decorative. The restaurant’s language is built through dishes that carry Bologna’s story in service, not explanation. Pasta sheets, seasonal raw materials, meat, and fish function as technique, timing, appetite, and place. Outside notice from MICHELIN/ViaMichelin identifies guinea fowl breast with truffle-flavoured potatoes as not to miss at the restaurant. The plate’s description keeps the emphasis on raw material and technique, with pleasure coming from balance rather than flourish.
Credentials
Matteo Poggi has received MICHELIN Guide Bib Gourmand — Al Cambio. Recognition has come through Lasagna included among the New York Times' 25 pasta dishes to try in Italy (2024) and Bib Gourmand — Al Cambio. For Poggi, those markers point to a kitchen rooted in Bologna while still legible beyond it: craft, tradition, and steady execution.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Matteo
What does Matteo Poggi do now?
Matteo Poggi is chef of Al Cambio in Bologna.
Where did Matteo Poggi work before?
Earlier in their career, Matteo Poggi worked at Osteria Francescana.
What recognition has Matteo Poggi received?
Lasagna included among the New York Times' 25 pasta dishes to try in Italy (2024).
